An RDKB Update: For Rural Bridesville, Area E/West Boundary
Adoption of the Rural Bridesville Official Community Plan (Bylaw 1800)
The Rural Bridesville Official Community plan (OCP) (Bylaw 1800) has been adopted by the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary’s Board of Directors. Based on community input since 2015, it’s a visionary document that outlines how local people want to see their area evolve.
“The OCP is a policy document, not regulatory (not enforceable), so its overarching goals and objectives paint a picture of what the community wants their area to look like in the future – based on what they want to protect, where they want to see development take place, and what they envision in terms of agriculture,” explains Donna Dean, Manager of Planning & Development.
Further public consultation for Draft Zoning Bylaw
Third reading of the Draft Zoning Bylaw has been delayed pending further public consultation. A zoning bylaw regulates uses, density, setback distances and height of structures. The RDKB is expanding the steering committee to review the input from the public hearing and incorporate it into the bylaw before it goes back for more public consultation.
“There has been a lot of misunderstanding around the planning process and we’ve faced some strong opposition from some people who live within the plan area. They don’t want zoning but do want their land use concerns addressed,” says Director of Area E/West Boundary, Vicki Gee.
“The community came to us to do something about a number of land use concerns back in 2015, including general water availability. Unless there is a regulatory zoning bylaw in place to address worries such as these as they arise, the RDKB can’t do anything about them,” says Donna Dean, Manager of Planning and Development.
The OCP and Draft Zoning Bylaw ONLY applies to Rural Bridesville – there are no plans to extend the planning into other areas of Area E/West Boundary.
Residents outside the Rural Bridesville Official Community Plan area will not be affected by any of the planning documents. The plan area applies to an area that lies between the US border to the south; the boundary with the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen to the west; the Mt. Baldy land use area to the north and Canyon Bridge to the east.
There are no plans to expand to other portions of Electoral Area E/West Boundary as there are 10 other bylaw reviews in the work plan for the Planning and Development Department. Each bylaw review can take two or more years to complete.
For anyone who is interested in finding out more or wants to Join the Conversation online: Rural Bridesville Land Use Plan | Regional District of Kootenay Boundary – Join the Conversation (rdkb.com)
To clarify, the Bridesville Townsite has had a zoning bylaw since 2012. Additionally, the RDKB’s building bylaw has been in effect since 1966 when the regional district was first incorporated. It has no direct correlation to the zoning bylaw.
 |
Vivienne Hurley | Communications Specialist vhurley@rdkb.com | T: 250.368.0233 | C:250.231.3172 Regional District of Kootenay Boundary |